Buero Wagner-Gamsei Cocktail Bar

At Design Interviews

Interview with Buero Wagner : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Buero Wagner : When Gamsei opened in 2013, hyper-localism was introduced to a field of practice which had till then been mainly confined to the food scene. At Gamsei, ingredients for cocktails are either wildly foraged or grown by local artesian farmers, thus reestablishing a connection with local products and culture. Gamsei is, envisioned as an antidote to the globalization of cocktail bars .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Buero Wagner : Just like the cocktails, we procured all materials locally, and worked in close collaboration with local manufacturers to produce custom-made solutions. Gamsei is a wholly integrated concept that turns the event of drinking a cocktail into a novel experience. .Frank Scott: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?. Buero Wagner : The Design and research process started in September 2012 in Munich – The interior was completed in April 2013. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Buero Wagner : We wanted the bar interior to be clear continuation of the hyper local concept– whilst paying a tribute to the local Bavarian culture and craftsmanship, guests enjoy a view from either tribune onto the centrally placed bars and follow how bartenders mix up the cocktails. Dried flowers and herbs are displayed in a wooden built-in cupboard. White ceramic bottles, containing self-made essences, are suspended from a steel mesh. .Frank Scott: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?. Buero Wagner : Gamsei is a wholly integrated concept that turns the event of drinking a cocktail into a novel experience. The refreshing take on the cocktail bar extends further: bartenders, dressed in uniform leather aprons, serve their guests an amuse-gueule, such as “Biersand”, after taking their coats upon entering, the tribunes on either side - allow for sports broadcasts. .Frank Scott: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?. Buero Wagner : Gamsei [ˈɡamzːei. ] :
Is the the egg of the Rupicapra Rupicapra (chamois) - It’s a Bavarian fairy tale, which says that the egg is very rare and hard to find - but has an excellent indescribable taste and that the Woiperdinger the Bavarian legendary creature a horned squirrel declared it as its favourite food. Every year in autumn gatherers looking for Gamsei(er) high up in the mountains - but nobody ever found one. .Frank Scott: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?. Buero Wagner : we use all kinds of media to develop our designs .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Buero Wagner : All materials such as wood and ceramics are procured locally, and we worked exclusively in close collaboration with local carpenters and manufacturers to produce custom-made solutions. .Frank Scott: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?. Buero Wagner : For Gamsei we collaborated with Andreas Kreft – a Munich based Architect, who was working in New York and Berlin before he established his own office Studio Kreft. Another collaborator was a structural engineering firm which had to check on the beams at the ceiling as the steel mesh got quite heavy. The joints at the walls were also a problem as we found out that the walls were extremely thin – one day we broke one wall and stand in the neighbor’s sleeping room. But all worked out well we fixed the wall and the neighbor got free drinks at the bar. For the Uniforms and the pottery we worked with local manufactures .Frank Scott: What is the role of technology in this particular design?. Buero Wagner : Gamsei is a low tech project - we used mainly traditional techniques to process wood and ceramics .Frank Scott: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?. Buero Wagner : Whilst designing Gamsei it was extremely demanding to follow the hyper local concept. We needed much more time to source materials, and find local partners as in any other project. The building itself which host the bar is from the 19th century so we had the common problems with historic building fabric. .